The present invention relates to retractable canopy systems for boats, and more particularly to a manually operated boat shade system comprising a pair of telescoping tubular actuators connected in parallel alignment within a self-supporting framework to permit pullout deployment of a flexible canvas by hand, and a releasable locking mechanism incorporated within the tubular actuators that serves to maintain the framework in full extension preventing an unwanted retraction thereof and further allowing a staged retraction when desired.
In recreational boating, the so-called “bimini top” is a convertible cover erected upon the deck of the boat and made to be deployed at an elevation comfortably above the heads of the passengers. Drawing its name from the Bimini islands in the Bahamas where it was first employed by boaters to provide desired shade from the strong rays of the tropical sun, the standard type of bimini top and those convertible boat covers of the same nature generally comprise a flexible canvas material secured to a foldable support frame that is erected across the deck and pivotally attached thereto. These standard types of foldable bimini tops can be raised when needed or lowered into a substantially flat position upon the deck when not in use or when an overhead obstruction may otherwise require its lowering. While deployment of these folding type bimini tops was often done manually, some were designed to be automated in their operation, the latter requiring electrical power, such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,209,477 to Briedenweg and U.S. Pat. No. 6,983,716 to Ankney et al. Regardless of their specific foldable structure or method of operational deployment, the installation and utilization of bimini tops have became increasingly important for the protection of passengers and crew on board boats against excessive sun exposure and the known risks of skin cancer caused thereby.
While providing effective sunshade protection, the assembled structure of these folding bimini top arrangements, typically including a plurality of poles or bow-like members pivotally mounted across the boat deck, would often obstruct a person on board from reaching out over the side of the boat when fishing, docking or mooring the boat and further present an obstacle in boarding and loading equipment onto the deck. To overcome these obstacles and still provide effective sunshade protection, retractable canopy systems were devised and developed as retrofits for recreational boats capable of operative attachment to existing overhead structure on the boat without causing obstructions upon the deck. As retrofits, such retractable canopy systems were designed to mount onto existing rooftop members set over the deck of a boat or upon other elevated structures, such as radar arches or towers. These prior art retrofit canopy systems include those designed to be manually operated, such as those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,951,594 to Feikama and 6,439,150 to Murphy et al., and those designed to be automated in their operation, such as those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,571,691, 7,895,964 and 7,950,342 to Ronald K. Russikoff. These latter automated systems have featured a telescopic framework or so-called “teleframe” design that mounts directly to a rooftop or other overhead structure on the boat without need for side-supporting poles thereby easing the handling of dock lines and boarding of the boat and providing clear unobstructed views while on board. While these prior art canopy systems have been generally satisfactory in their intended manual or automated deployment upon boats, some drawbacks have arisen in their implementation and usage. The automated systems, for example, while providing relatively quick and easy deployment in a self-supporting framework, are rather burdensome in the weight of their assembled components, particularly those involved in their powered operation, and further in amount of retrofit labor involved in the mounting and routed connections these automated systems require. The manual systems, on the other hand, while being generally lighter in weight and more simple in their retrofit attachments than the automated systems, have been somewhat limited in their operational deployment upon certain smaller, relatively lightweight recreational boats that have limited overhead surface areas, such as T-top center console fishing boats, bow rider boats, and wake board boats. These smaller recreational boats require a more compact and lightweight retractable canopy device that will better accommodate their limited overhead surface areas and better fit with their existing structure than prior art canopy systems of either manual or automated operation.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved retractable canopy system for recreational boats that is completely manual in its operation and compact in its structure and can be easily mounted and safely deployed on virtually any style boat. Furthermore, there is an associated need for such a manually operated boat shade system that is relatively inexpensive to make and assemble and affordable to a substantial number of boat owners.